Pau Gasol
On the 6th of July 1980, Pau Gasol Sáez entered the world at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. His mother Marisa worked there as a medical doctor while his father Agustí served as a nurse administrator. The family lived nearby in Cornellà before moving to Sant Boi de Llobregat when he turned six years old. An 11-year-old Pau heard news about Magic Johnson announcing his HIV-positive status on television in 1991. That moment sparked a decision that would define his early teenage years. He wanted to become a doctor and find a cure for AIDS instead of pursuing sports professionally.
Gasol enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona in 1998 after showing promise in basketball with FC Barcelona's junior teams. He played rugby first before switching to basketball during his childhood years. His parents encouraged both paths but basketball eventually took precedence over medicine. After one year of medical studies, he left university to focus entirely on his professional career. This choice marked the beginning of a journey that would see him become one of Europe's greatest athletes.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Pau Gasol third overall in the 2001 NBA draft during the first round. Their rights were immediately traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley plus their 27th pick. Gasol made his debut on the 17th of January 1999 with FC Barcelona's senior team playing just 25 total minutes in the Spanish ACB League's 1998, 99 season. He averaged 13.7 minutes per game in the following year before averaging 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in his final ACB season.
In his rookie year with Memphis he became the first foreign player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He appeared in all 82 games that season while averaging 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Gasol led the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game during his second year while maintaining perfect attendance across another full 82-game schedule. He snapped his streak of 240 consecutive games played when a foot injury kept him out of Game 1 against San Antonio on the 5th of April 2004. Despite scoring 22 points in Game 4 against the Spurs, Memphis lost all four playoff series games without securing a single victory.
On the 24th of March 2006, Pau Gasol grabbed his 3,072nd rebound against New York Knicks to become the franchise's all-time leading rebounder for the Grizzlies. He tied the second-best mark in team history by making 29 consecutive free throw attempts between January 24 and 28. Two straight games saw him go 12, 12 from the line matching the best single-game record ever set by any Grizzly player.
Gasol made his first NBA All-Star appearance on the 9th of February 2006 as a reserve center for the Western Conference squad in Houston Texas. He became the first Spanish basketball player and first Grizzlies player to reach that honor. On the 31st of January 2007 he surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the franchise leader in free throw attempts during a game against Dallas Mavericks. By the 7th of March 2007 he had scored 7,809 points against Toronto Raptors to claim the all-time scoring title previously held by Abdur-Rahim who finished with 7,801 points. When leaving Memphis after six seasons he held twelve different franchise records including games played minutes field goals rebounds blocks turnovers and total points.
On the 1st of February 2008 Memphis traded Pau Gasol to Los Angeles Lakers along with a 2010 second round draft pick for Kwame Brown Javaris Crittenton Aaron McKie plus rights to Marc Gasol and two first round picks. Gasol lived across the street from the shoreline in Redondo Beach while playing for the team. His first Lakers appearance came on February 5 when he scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 105, 90 win over New Jersey Nets.
The Lakers defeated Orlando Magic in the 2009 Finals giving Gasol his first championship ring. He averaged 14.7 points per game on .532 shooting during that series while leading the team in rebounding at 10.2 per game. On the 24th of December 2009 he signed a three-year extension worth $64.7 million with the organization. In Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against Boston Celtics he scored 19 points grabbed 18 rebounds and recorded two blocks as the Lakers repeated as champions. Kobe Bryant stated that playing with Gasol clicked from the start despite some early struggles.
Pau Gasol's first competition with senior Spain national basketball team was the 2001 EuroBasket tournament where they earned bronze medal status. He won gold medals at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Championship with Spanish junior teams before turning professional. His international career included winning silver medals at both 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games plus bronze at 2016 Olympics.
He became MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship after helping Spain win gold. Gasol also claimed Most Valuable Player honors at both 2009 and 2015 FIBA EuroBasket tournaments sharing the record for most EuroBasket MVP awards with KrešimirĆosić who has two each. On the 7th of September 2017 he became FIBA EuroBasket's all-time leading scorer passing Tony Parker with 1,033 points before finishing with 1,183 total points scored in the competition. During knockout matches of 2015 EuroBasket he inspired his side missing many stars like Ricky Rubio Juan Carlos Navarro Álex Abrines and brother Marc by scoring 40 points against France which represented half his team's total points.
In 2013 Pau Gasol along with brother Marc established the Gasol Foundation to promote community health and healthy living habits especially through preventing childhood obesity. They moved the foundation headquarters from Barcelona to Sant Boi de Llobregat where Pau was born during March 2017. The organization presented Estudio Pasos in September 2019 studying obesity levels among children aged 8 to 18 years old while highlighting physical inactivity rates.
Gasol received UNICEF Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity designation in July 2019 after working extensively on infant survival campaigns across Africa. He visited Children's Hospital of Los Angeles regularly during his Lakers tenure asking doctors detailed questions about treating scoliosis cases. In April 2010 he planned to observe spinal surgery performed by Dr. David Skaggs but canceled due to a low-grade fever before rescheduling for June 2010 when witnessing operation on a 13-year-old girl from Colorado. His work earned him the Magic Johnson Award from Professional Basketball Writers Association in April 2015 recognizing his commitment to helping children achieve goals worldwide.
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Common questions
When and where was Pau Gasol born?
Pau Gasol Sáez entered the world on the 6th of July 1980 at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. His mother Marisa worked there as a medical doctor while his father Agustí served as a nurse administrator.
Why did Pau Gasol leave medical school to play basketball?
After one year of medical studies at the University of Barcelona, he left university to focus entirely on his professional career. Basketball eventually took precedence over medicine despite his initial desire to become a doctor and find a cure for AIDS.
Which team selected Pau Gasol in the 2001 NBA draft?
The Atlanta Hawks selected Pau Gasol third overall in the 2001 NBA draft during the first round. Their rights were immediately traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley plus their 27th pick.
How many championships has Pau Gasol won with the Los Angeles Lakers?
Pau Gasol won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers by defeating Orlando Magic in the 2009 Finals and repeating as champions after Game 7 against Boston Celtics in 2010. He averaged 14.7 points per game during the 2009 series and scored 19 points with 18 rebounds in the decisive 2010 Game 7.
What international awards did Pau Gasol receive from FIBA?
He became MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship after helping Spain win gold and claimed Most Valuable Player honors at both 2009 and 2015 FIBA EuroBasket tournaments. On the 7th of September 2017 he became FIBA EuroBasket's all-time leading scorer passing Tony Parker with 1,033 points before finishing with 1,183 total points scored in the competition.